The Effect of the Surgical Margins on the Outcome of Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Single Institution Experience
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- Category: Vol. 80, June 2012
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The Effect of the Surgical Margins on the Outcome of Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Single Institution Experience,HANY ELDEEB and ASHOK TEWARY
Abstract
Introduction: Head and neck cancer is one of the 10 most prevalent cancers in the world. 90% of all head and neck cancer are of squamous origin. The prognosis of head and neck cancer depends on host and disease characteristics. Previous studies have shown contradicting results for the impact of the surgical margins on the outcome of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
Purpose of the Study: The aim of this study is to asses the impact of close or positive surgical margins on the outcome, and to determine whether margin status influence the recurrence rate and the overall survival for patients with head and neck cancers.
Methods: Records from 1996 to 2001 of 413 patients with head and neck primary SCC, who were treated with surgery as a first line of treatment, were analyzed. Of these 82 patients were eligible for the study. Patients were followed-up for 5 years.
Results: Patients with margins between 5-10mm had 50% recurrence rate (RR), those with surgical margins between 1- 5mm had 59% RR and those with positive surgical margins had 90% RR (p-0.004). The 5-year survival was 54%, 39% and 10% respectively (p-0.002).
Conclusion: Unsatisfactory surgical margin is an inde-pendent risk factor for recurrence free survival as well as overall survival regardless the other tumor and patients char-acteristics.